Ments



E. G. STAUDE.I

ENvELoP MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-30,1912.

L11; PatentedAug. 8,1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

(It) Lf ff l Patented Aug. 8, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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@XO C l@ E. Q STAUDE. ENVELOP MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30| 19|2.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Patented Aug. 8,1916.

ITED ein@ PATENT @FFIQE EDWIN G. STAUDE, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO UNITED STATES ENVELOPE COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHU- SETTS, A. CORPORATION.

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Application led November 20, 1912. Serial No. 734,377.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWIN G. STAUDE, a citizen of the United States, resident of Minneapolis, in thel county of Hennepin, State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Envelop- Machines, of which the following is a speciiication. f

My invention relates to envelop machines of the type wherein the blanks are initially folded by one mechanism, and then have their direction of movement changed in a secondary or supplemental folding mechanism, and one object of the invention is to provide improved means for holding the blank down on the carrier as it passes from the initial folding mechanism to the secondary or supplemental folding mechanism.

A further object is to provide, means which will positively prevent the loose flaps of the blank from sticking or catching to any part of the machine during the passage of the blank from one folding means to another.

()ther objects of the invention will appear from the following detailed description.

The invention consists generally in various constructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view7 of a portion of an envelop machine em` bodying my invention, Fig. 2 isa sectional view on the line -mf Fig. 3, Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line g/-y of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view illustrating the means for holding the blank down .upon the Lcarrier, Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view, showing the device for delivering Huid pressure to the surface of the blank, Fig. 6 is a detail view showing the means for feeding the blank into the supplemental creasing and In the drawing, 2represents the frame of the machine and 3 and 4 upper and lower feed belts between which the blanks are delivered from the initial folding mechanism (not shown). .'Ihese belts are driven preferably through a shaft 5 geared to a driving shaft 6. Near the feed belts 3 and 4 I prefer to provide rolls 7 and 8 to receive the blanks and deliverl them upon a single roll 9 from vided with hooks 13 adapted to engage the edge of the blank and feed it to the secondary creasing and folding mechanism. carrier belt 14 passes around rolls 15 and 16,

Patented nag. s, raie.

(see Fig. and over rolls 17 and 18 mounted in .the brackets 19 and 20, said brackets having hubs 21 in threaded engagement with screw shafts 22 mounted in said frame. rIhe hubs 21`V have rods 2l connecting them in pairs on opposite shafts and are provided with rolls 23which operate as guides for the carrier belt, said belt Operating, as shown plainly in Fig. 2, in the di- 14 and is fed forward until it is checked-Y y,

by a stop 26 adjustably mounted at 27 on the brackets 19. Near this stop 26 a second way '11 is provided for thel second feed belt 12. These ways and belts,'disposed upon opposite sides of the rolls .17 and 18,- as shown in Fig. 4, being substantially the same, I will designate them by the same reference numerals.'

rllhe blanks falling upon the carrier belt 14V will be moved ,thereby into contact with the stop 26 for the purpose of centering and alining the blanks with respect to the feed belts 12 preparatory to changing the direction of movement of the blanks". toward the secondary creasing and folding mechanism. I have found, however, in 'delivering the blanks to this carrier belt that considerable diiculty is experienced in holding the light paper blank down on the belt so that the blank will beproperly alined and centered before beginning its movement toward the mechanism for performing the final creasing and folding operation. rIhis difficulty in `holding the blank in place is due partly to the movement of the carrier belt itself and principally, perhaps, to the fact that the blanks are not sufficiently heavy to stay down on the carrier belt of their own weight,

`but are composed of comparatively thin,

light material, usually employed in envelop stock, and are therefore jarred or thrown out of place by the moving mechanism. Evidently if the blanks are .not properly centered vand alined before4 entering the secondary creasing rolls the final step in the operation will not be properly performed.

f'Io hold the blanks down on the carrier belt and insure contact with the stop and the centering and alining of each blank, I provide a mechanism which I will now describe v indetail.

29 is a shaft mounted in brackets 30 on the machine frame and provided with a key- Way 31.

32 represents hubs slidable on the shaftl 29 `and having set screws 33 for locking the hubs in the key-way. Pipes 34 and 35 are lcarried by said hubs and have flexible connections 36 with a compressed air supply pipe 37 provided with a regulating valve-38. By opening or closing this valve the flow of air pressure through the pipes is controlled. The pipes 34 and 35 are each provided in their `underside with a'longitudinal slit 39 and within each pipe 34 and 35, above the carrier belt, I arrange a tube 40 having aspiral slot 41 therein. Rods 42 are secured to the outer ends of the tubes 40 and close the ends of the tubes against the escape of the air pressure. Brackets 43 are adjustably mounted on a rod 44 that is parallel with the shaft 6 and the outer ends of the rods 42 have bearings in said brackets and are provided with spiral gears 45 meshing with sim- 'ilar gears 46 slidably mounted on the shaft 6. By loosening the set screws 33 and the brackets 43 the rods 42 may be moved back and forth over the carrierb'elt to adapt them for blanks of' different sizes: When air pressure is delivered to the pipes 34 and 35 and flows into the tubes 40, it will be evident that as these tubes revolve through their connection with the rods 42 a stream of air will iow. down through the slits 39 when por- `itions of the spiral slots 41 areV in register with said slits and the air, contacting with the blank and with the loose flaps, will hold them down to the position indicated in Figs. 4and 5 and insure the positive feed of the blanks to the stop 26 and also prevent the loose flaps from swinging up and catching on any portion of the machine and interfering with the rapid and accurate feed of the blanks.

In addition to drivingthe rods-42, theV shaft 6 has a driving connection at 47 with the shaft 5 and vwith the rolls-7, 8 and 9 for operating them continuously. The feed belts 12 have their sprocket wheels mounted in bearings 48 which are adjustable inl slotted bars 49 carried on the' brackets 19 and 20. By revolving the screw shafts 22, they feed belts may be moved back and forth across the machine to change their position `with respect to the carrier belt and the secthe pipes 34 and 35 VI prefer to provide a" guide 54 mounted on the pipe 35- and up- Wardly inclined -to a point above the roll 9. In case the blank should tilt upwardly in passing over the roll 9 it will contact with the guide 54 and be directed thereby down llnder the pipes 34 and 35 upon the carrier elt. f

In the operation of the'machine, the parl tially folded blanks pass through the rolls 7 and 8 and dropping upon the carrier belt,

are fed thereby into contact with the stop^- 26. At this time the air pressure will be admitted from above in the manner described, and the blank will be held down on the belt and against the stop to insure the centering and alining of the blank and the loose flaps of the blank will also be held down and prevented from interfering in'any way with the proper feeding of the blank in a direction at right angles to its previous movement. The rotation of the tubes 40 is timed with the movement of the blanks to supplyA a stream of air the width of each blank and from the time it contacts with the stop until delivered to the creasing rolls of the secondary folding mechanism. In this way I am ableto positively hold the blank on the carrier belt and in contactV with the stop yand insure proper alining and centering of the blank with respect to the feed belts-and the secondary folding mechanism. u

In various ways the means lfor delivering fthe air pressure to the blanks may be modified and still be within the scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention .1. In an envelop machine, the combination with means for feeding blanks having folded flaps, of means for delivering air under pressure upon said blanks in' a blast crossing'said folded aps, whereby the same are maintained in folded position and means for cordinating the operations of said blank feeding means and said air delivering means, whereby the action of said last menblank.

2. In an envelop machine, the combination with means for successively feeding blanks, of means for delivering air under pressure upon each blank and means for coordinating the operations of said feeding means and said air delivering means, whereby the action of the last mentioned means is inaugurated simultaneously with the beginning of the mov-ement of each blank.

' 3. ln an envelop machine, the combination with a blank feeding means, of means for successively projecting blanks thereon, means for delivering air under pressure upon each blank and means for inaugurating the operation of said air delivering means simultaneously with the beginning of movement of each Iblank by said feeding means, whereby each blank is maintained in predetermined position during the whole of its movement on said feeding means.

4. The combination, with an initial feeding means, of a secondary feeding means operating at an angle with. respect to said initial feeding means and-adapted to receive a blank therefrom, means for centering the blank on said secondary feeding means, means vfor delivering air `under pressure upon the blank and means for inaugurating the operation of said air delivering means simultaneously with the arrival of each blank against said centering means, whereby each blank is maintained in the position determined by said centering means during its movement by said secondary feeding means.

5. The combination, in an envelop machine, With an initial blank feeding means,

of a secondary feeding means operating at an angle to said initial feeding means, means for centering the blank upon said secondary feeding means, means for delivering air under pressure upon the forward and rear edges of said blank a'nd means for inaugurating the operation of said air delivering means simultaneously with the arrival of each blank against said centering means, whereby eac-h blank is maintained in the position determined by said centering means during its movement w by said secondary feeding means. p

6. The combination, with an initial blank feeding n means, of a secondary feeding means operating at an`angle tosaid initial feeding means, a stop in the path of the blank for centering it upon said secondary feeding means, means for delivering air under pressure,l upon said blank and means for inaugurating the action of said air deliveringl means simultaneously with the engagement of the blank with said stop, whereby the blank is maintained in the position determined by said stop during its movement by said secondary feeding means,

7. rfhe combination, with an initial blankl feeding means, of a secondary -feeding means operating transversely with respect to said initial feeding means, means for centering the blank on said secondary feeding means, means for delivering air under pressure upon the opposite edges of the blank and means for inaugurating theoperation of said air delivering means simultaneously with the arrival of each blank against said centering means, whereby the blank is maintained in the position determined by said centering means during its movement by said secondary feeding means.

8. rlihe combination, with an initial blank feeding means, of a secondary feeding means operating transversely with` respect to said initiai blank feeding means, a stop in the path of the blank, a carrier operating in the direction of movement of said initial feeding means to feed the blank into contact c with said stop and center it with respect to said seconda-ry feeding means, a pneumatic device for holding the blank in its centered position upon said carrier and said secondary feeding meansand means for inaugurating the action, of said pneumatic device simultaneously with the arrival of the blank against said stop, whereby the blank is maintained in the position determined by said stop during its movement by said secondary feeding means, v

9. rfhe combination, with an initial blank v ing its movement by said secondary feeding means.

l0. The combination, with an initial blank feeding means, of a secondary feeding means operating transversely with respect to said initial feeding means, means for delivering air under pressure upon the lblank on said secondary feeding means and means for co1 ordinating the operations of said secondary feeding means and said air delivering means, whereby the action of the last mentioned means is `inaugurated simultaneously with the beginningof the movement of the blank on said vsecondary feeding means;

l1. The combination, with a blank feeding means,'of'means for 'delivering air under pressure upon a blank carried bysaid feeding means, said air delivering means being adjustable to adapt it for blanks of different'sizesand means for cordinating the oplio as y

erations vof saidfeeding means and said air delivering means, whereby thelactionof the last mentioned means is inaugurated at the beginningof the movementofthe blank on said feeding means.

12. The combination, with a blankfeeding means, of means for delivering air under pressure upon the blank carried by said feeding means, said air delivering means including a pipe having a discharge opening therein and a rotating tube within said pipe and provided with a spiral opening adapted to register by degrees with the opening in said pipe as said tube revolves, and connected with a source of air under pressure.

13. The combination, with a blank feedingmeans, of means for delivering air under pressure upon the blank'carried by said feeding means, said air delivering means including inner and outer tubes having a relative revolving movement and openings through which currents of air are discharged upon the blank, means for supplying air under pressure to the inner tube.

14. The combination, with a blank feeding means, of means for delivering air under pressure upon the" blank carried by said feeding means, said air delivering means including a pipe having aV longitudinal slot therein and a rotatingtubefhavng a spiral slot therein arranged within said pipe and connected-withl a source of air under pressure.

15. The combination, with a blank feeding means, of a rod mounted above the same transversely thereof, pipes slidable on said rod and having longitudinal slits therein, tubes fitting within said pipes and having spiral slots formed therein, said tubes and pipes over-hanging the blank upon said feeding means, means for delivering air under pressure to said tubes, and means for re 17. The combination, with an initial blankY feeding means, of a secondary blank feeding means operating at an angle theretotastop in the path of the blank as it is fed to said secondary feeding means, a pipe arranged above said secondary feeding means and hav` ing means for delivering air under pressure upon the blank thereon, a guide arranged to direct the blank from said initial feeding means beneath said pipe upon said secondary feeding means and means for inaugurating the delivery of air from said pipe simultaneouslyvwith the engagement of the blank with said stop.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 21st day of November, 1912.

EDWIN G. STAUDE.

Witnesses:

GENEVIEVE E. SoRENsEN, EDWARD A. PAUL. 

